noun
- an early type of gun in which the charge of gunpowder was ignited by a flint striking steel
Usage: historical
Examples
- The colonial soldiers carried firelocks into battle.
- Museum visitors can see an authentic 18th-century firelock on display.
- The firelock was a significant improvement over earlier matchlock weapons.
- Revolutionary War reenactors use replica firelocks for historical accuracy.
- The gunsmith carefully restored the antique firelock’s firing mechanism.
- Pirates of that era were often armed with cutlasses and firelocks.